


The Magic

by prettypersistent



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Multi, Snow Queen - Freeform, Snowing - Freeform, Swanfire - Freeform, wicked dragon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2015-03-01
Packaged: 2018-03-15 20:07:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3460304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettypersistent/pseuds/prettypersistent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of one-shots for various relationships and characters. (For all Outlaw Queen fanfiction, see the work "Soulmates".)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Coronation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> madame_mayor_regina_swan requested: daddy!Charming

Taking one look at the dress, Emma immediately laughed.

"Emma…" Snow sighed, with a clear expression of disappointment.

"What!” She stopped laughing, but kept a bewildered smirk on her face as she shook her head. There was a huge culture difference between her and her parents, she knew that. They knew it, too, but they were a lot more hopeful, of course.

“No, it’s nothing! It doesn’t matter what you wear,” Snow assured her.

“But I—” Before she could say anything, Snow continued.

“Listen, I’m going to go see what Regina’s plans are. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Waiting until Snow left the room, Emma groaned and turned to David. “She’s upset, isn’t she?”

“Emma, sit down,” he said, patting the seat beside him. They tried to treat her like their child (which technically, she was), but they were the same age, after all.

“David, this is ridiculous. I’m not doing it,” she insisted, shaking her head. She wasn’t trying to be stubborn, even if it was in her nature, but this was just too much. She wasn’t used to all this, and even if she was, she didn’t think she would like it.

“It’s not!” He stood up, only to wrap an arm around her shoulder and sit back down with her beside him. “A lot of royal families in the Enchanted Forest have coronations ceremonies for their first-born.”

“Yes, but doesn’t that happen when they turn like, eighteen, or something?!” Emma insisted. She was a grown woman. She didn’t need to put on some ridiculous prom dress and be honored at some ball.

“Yeah, of course…” he said, nodding at the obvious validity of her point. “But when you were eighteen your life was very different.”

“You don’t need to remind me…”

“Emma, everything—everything your mother and I wanted for you was taken away,” he said, even though she literally just told him not to remind her. He was so frustrating sometimes. “We can’t ever make up for that, and it’s too late for most things, but this—we just want to do this one thing.”

“David…” Emma sighed sincerely, but he surprisingly held up a finger to stop her.

“Just promise you’ll consider it. I think you should. This is the longest we’ve all been in Enchanted Forest together. Who knows what will happen next. Remember what I said about finding moments to appreciate?”

Groaning, Emma got up and stuck a pin in the dummy wearing her coronation gown. Moving toward the door, she looked back at him. “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t think I would want to do this even if I had been raised here.”

David shook his head. “We can’t know that for sure. But I’m glad we have you exactly the way you are.”

—

David had been nervous all evening. He wouldn’t put it past Emma to back out at the last minute and convince Hook or Neal to sneak out and ride off on a horse with her.

Still, he had to keep believing that Emma would appreciate what this meant, not only to her family, but the entire Enchanted Forest who had always believed in her as their savior. Maybe she would even enjoy herself.

“I can’t believe I actually agreed to throw this thing,” Regina said, scoffing.

“Well, technically you are her step-grandmother,” David reminded her with a cheeky grin.

But Snow stopped him, shaking her head. “It’s okay, Regina, you don’t have to tell us. We know how much you secretly loved doing this…” Grinning, she leaned over to give Regina a kiss on the cheek.

David simply chuckled while his wife continued to gush over Regina, while Regina continued trying to seem displeased.

Suddenly, though, the light’s dimmed and David inhaled, nervously holding his breath.

“Now presenting, the heir of Snow and David Charming: Emma Swan,” Sir Francis, their new knight, announced.

Emma stepped out, wearing a gorgeous cream gown, garnished with feathers. It was perfect. She was perfect. “She’s so beautiful…” he whispered to Snow. There was his daughter; his princess; his everything.

When she reached the bottom of the steps, she was officially crowned as the princess and heir to their throne.

It took a while, due to all the congratulations she encountered, but she eventually made it over to them. After hugging her mom, she turned to him. “I suppose I’m expected to dance with Prince Charming now?” she joked.

David smiled and took her hand, leading her out onto the dance floor. He was actually getting a father-daughter dance. He hated that he had missed out on being a dad for so many years, but he felt that it made him love it even more, now.

“So, was it that bad?” he asked, smiling at her.

Chuckling, she rolled her yes. “I definitely feel ridiculous and overdressed—” she said. “But it was actually kind of nice…finally feeling like the royal daughter.”

“All I care about is that you feel like our daughter,” he said. She rarely openly acknowledged it—mainly only in times of distress. So everything felt perfect when, in that happy moment, she leaned in and whispered,

“I love you, Dad.”

 


	2. Drunk on Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snow Queen, post-3x18.

Sitting in the living room of her—well, their flat, Snow sighed deeply. They had decided that it would be safer and more comforting for Regina to stay with them, so now she, David, and Emma AND Regina were all living in the tiny home together. It was nice, except for the fact that Regina was always running off into the woods to spend time with Robin Hood.

Snow understood, of course. The first time she met her love, they had spent the day running through the woods. But that was when she had been exiled by Regina. Now, they were finally close again and she wanted to spend more time with the woman.

After another sigh, Regina chimed in.

“What’s wrong, Snow?” the former Evil Queen insisted.

“Oh—No, it’s nothing,” Snow whispered, shaking her head.

Regina rolled her eyes and swiveled her chair to face her step-daughter. “Cut it out. You don’t sigh like that, twice, for nothing.”

“Okay, maybe not, but-but I’m being a brat,” Snow admitted, feeling embarrassed. She was a grown woman, after all, but she couldn’t help but feel like a child again, when it came to Regina.

“I’m used to that,” Regina said nonchalantly. “So tell me what’s bothering you.”

“It’s just—,” Snow started, taking a deep breath. “You’ve been spending an awful lot of time with Robin, lately—.”

“I thought you were happy about that!” Regina spat, cutting her off. “I’m sorry. Continue.”

“No! I am!” Snow insisted. “It’s just—we’re finally getting close again, but we haven’t gotten to spend much time together. And I know how you’re feeling about Robin and I’m so happy for you.”

Getting up, she moved to sit on the arm of Regina’s chair, taking the woman’s hands in her own. “I missed you so much. After you banished me; and after my wedding. Throughout the curse, and everything that happened after it. I missed you /so/ much, and now that you’re finally back, Regina, I don’t want to miss you anymore!”

Regina licked her lips, willing herself not to cry again. They had already had that heart-to-lack-of-heart conversation. But she had missed out on so much time with Snow, a girl she had truly loved when they had first crossed paths. But like she had said before, it was time to stop dwelling on the past.

“I love Robin. I haven’t loved anyone like him since—well, you know.” She remembered how happy they had been, talking about true love together. It almost felt like it could be like that again. “But I have a very special love for you, too, Snow. I think, deep down, it never went away, or I would have done away with you during one of my many chances I was given…” She couldn’t help but try to lighten the situation. “I know I can’t be the easiest person to trust, but I’m finally here, and I’m not going to leave again,” she promised.

Snow gave a teary smile and shook her head. “My love for you never left me, either. So trust doesn’t even matter anymore. Because I’m going to believe in you and I’m going to love you, no matter what.”

Wrapping her arms around Regina, Snow kissed her head and held her close for a moment. After all they had been through, she knew that Regina’s new love would never pull them apart.


	3. Cost of a Cure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous requested on Tumblr: Snowing + "one of them being diagnosed with a terminal illness au," with awkward!Swanfire.

“Wh-What’s it called again?” David asked, his voice shaky.

He wasn’t thrilled about Whale treating his wife, yet again, but he was the closest thing they had to a traditional doctor in Storybrooke. Besides, Snow had little patience for David’s discomfort, when he was the one who had been married and nearly impregnated another woman under the curse.

“It’s called cancer. And it’s in her bones,” Dr. Whale said, his shoulders heaving with a heavy sigh. His life as a doctor was back to the usual, with him bringing news of hopelessness to those around him.

Standing at the side of Snow’s hospital bed were Emma and Neal, slumped into an embrace, because they had both spent enough time in this realm--outside of Storybrooke--to know the horrors of the ‘Big C.’

“It’s terminal. With treatment, Snow, we can prolong your time or even send you into remission. But when it comes to the bones...that’s not so easy,” the doctor concluded.

“I-I don’t understand,” Snow squeaked out, shaking her head. “Do we even have this in our world?”

“I’ve seen similar cases. It’s likely that we just didn’t have a name for it,” Viktor remarked. “That, and the fact that we have magical remedies. Here...well, the remedies are anything but magical.”

As Dr. Whale began explaining the different, invasive procedures to the two Charmings, Neal began to retreat into himself and away from Emma.

Tilting her head, Emma glared before her hands met his crossed arms and she was pushing him to the other side of the room. “What?” she demanded, even though he hadn’t said a word.

“Emma--” he started, but she didn’t give him a chance to protest their little meeting in the corner.

“No. I know that look. Something is on your mind, and I know it has to do with what’s happening right now. It’s something important.”

Neal sighed and shook his head. “I don’t like all this, Emma.”

“And you think I do? What the hell are you talking about, Neal?” she insisted, harshly. But despite her words, her face was slowly cracking to reveal her fear.

“Emma--Emma, stop. I mean the magic,” Neal started to explain. “Whale’s acting like a remedy using magic isn’t an option, but between my father and your--er, Snow’s...whatever Regina is to you guys, I have no doubt that we could figure something out.”

“Then let’s do it!” Emma declared, desperately grabbing onto his coat.

“But we’re here now. Maybe for good this time. I’m sick of magic!”

“This is my mother we’re talking about, Neal! She’s dying!”

“Yeah, and look what happened when I saved my father using magic?” Neal reminded her. “The only thing that saved me was you taking hold of the keychain and enacting it’s true love.”

Emma blushed, like she always did at that mention. Magic exposing her feelings for Henry was one thing, but those she had for Neal, another. “I’m the Savior. It’s what I do…” she grumbled.

“Yeah, well, I’m not. What if something happens and I can’t save you?” Neal countered.

“I don’t care!” Emma hissed, before spinning around to check on her parents. She found David crouched down by the bed, holding onto Snow’s hands in both of his. Neal followed suit, as they carefully listened in.

“I can’t live without you, Snow… My heart is, quite genuinely, yours. Surely, if you were to die, I would, as well,” David said, the strength in his voice slowly wavering. “Besides--For Emma, Levi, and Henry, I want to be here...but otherwise, I would have no desire to live without you, regardless.”

“Oh, I believe quite the contrary, David…” Snow said, with a sad, but true smile. She slipped one hand free from his and brought it to stroke his cheek. “My heart might be yours, but for that reason, I will continue to live inside you, after I go. You must keep me alive, within you.”

David choked back and sob and leaned his forward down and against his wife’s.

Emma roughly wiped at her eyes, not caring how she appeared, anymore. She was tired of losing her parents. Before she could see it happen, though, she felt Neal’s arms around her; and she could feel his resolve.

“You’re right, Emma,” he whispered in her ear. “We’ll try.”


	4. S'mores and Tacos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous requested: Outlaw Queen, 'post-4x07 Henry is looking for Regina to help Emma. He goes to her vault and finds his mother asleep and naked with Robin on the floor. How he takes it is entirely up to you!'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of a Henry-centric drabble, which is why I didn't put it under Soulmates, even though it was an OQ request.

The Truest Believer was possibly the only one who noticed how off Emma Swan had been, lately. The Savior had kept herself so preoccupied with their fight against the Snow Queen, that it would easily go undetected by someone who did not pay attention as closely as Henry.

Maybe he had been avoiding her a bit. Maybe they had been avoiding each other. But when his Grandparent’s told him about the incident at the Sheriff’s Station, he knew it had to stop.

Unfortunately for the son, much like his other mother, Emma did not care to be found. For that reason, the first person he turned to was, in fact, Regina. They seemed to have worked things out, at least somewhat, and he knew that she would do anything to help him.

Lately, she’d been spending all her time researching in her vault. Once in a while they would have a meal at home, but she was definitely invested in both her current projects. Even the Snow Queen had taken the back seat, unless Regina suspected her involvement.

(As much as she tried to claim her primary focus was Operation Mongoose, Henry knew that she wouldn’t give up on her true love, even if it meant helping his wife.)

The stairs creaked as Henry hurried his way down. “Mom?” he called out. It was early, but given how she’d been, she would already be up and at it.

“I need your help with a finding spell. Or maybe just some tracking or something, but I can’t--”

Stopping at the entryway, his eyes followed tangled legs, which (thankfully) led to a blanket, before reaching a pair of shoulders embraced by a much broader set. His eyes widened, and as soon as he saw his mother stir, he bolted in the opposite direction.

He was...well, first and foremost, disturbed. But he was happy for her. Hopefully. Knowing these adults, who were much older than their bodies would indicate, something like this would probably be more complicated than it appeared. But he didn’t really want to spent too much time thinking about it--and he knew someone who could relate.

Sighing, he pulled out his phone and scrolled to his Mom’s contact--the one who was just as disturbed by all the displays of affection in their tangled web of a family.

_ ‘Mom, I know you’re upset but… I was hoping we could make some tacos? :/ Call me.’ _


	5. Not So Bad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt from madame_mayor_regina_swan: Swanfire + send me an “Amuse Me” and I will write a funny drabble about one character trying to cheer another up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, it's not that funny. xD But this is one of my favorite one-shots.

Sometimes the magic haunts him, when he feels himself falling through the portal all over again until he wakes up.

And sometimes it taunts him, when he hears the Dark One’s laughter on the streets, while he is simply trying to live a normal life in this realm he was forced to.

He even thinks the magic is following him, because sometimes strange things happen with Emma--lights flicker or the weather suddenly changes.

But he knows it’s all in his head, because being with Emma is the closest thing to normal he’s ever had in his life.

Because magic doesn’t live here.

And because now, when he’s falling and falling...he know he just has to--

_Wake up!_

He bolts upright after internally yelling to his sleeping form. He’s in a cold sweat and breathing heavily when he feels a hand reach over, brushing against his sticky shoulder.

“Neal?” He hears the whisper and tries to compose himself, because Emma’s there. _At least Emma’s there._ “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing. I was just having a nightmare,” he admits, embarrassed. Because grown men shouldn’t have nightmares. But when it happens, he’s only a scared, young boy again. “Go back to bed.”

“Are you sure?” She sits up and turns on the nightstand lamp. It flickers and sends two long sparks flying.

_Like the second star to the right._

For a moment, he’s about to panic. But then she says, “Damn these cheap motels…” and he can’t help but chuckle, because it’s not as if they paid for it anyway.

“Well, that’s got me wide awake,” Emma says, pushing back the covers. But he needs to lay down because everything around him is turning white as the Neverland skies.

At least he’s no longer trapped in that dark, dreary cave. Because when he looks up, Emma is standing over him and still manages to glow through the bright fuzziness that is hindering his sight.

“I’m up, now. What should we do?” She jumps on the rickety bed and he groans.

“Go back to bed, babe,” he insists, reaching for her hand. But she’s moving too much and he’s still pretty uneasy.

Plopping down onto her knees, she sits beside him and runs her hand through his clammy head of hair. “You might have another bad dream. We should do something else.”

Neal gives an incredulous look. “And what do you propose, m’lady?” he asks, the Misthaven in him slipping out.

“Hmm… We could…” she murmurs, sliding her hand down his chest. “Go swimming?” she proposes, eyebrows raised above the brim of her glasses.

“What?” He laughs. “We don’t have a pass. We’re not actually checked in here.”

“So? It’s the middle of the night. The pool is closed, so we would have to break in, anyway,” she counters, and he can’t really argue with that.

\--

Ten minutes later, they’re standing outside a locked gate, much like their first date together. And he knows that being with Emma is everything he could have asked for from this world, even without his father joining him.

She’s toying with the tumbler and he asks if she needs help, despite knowing better. Because she is the type of person who can steal something twice. She’s just that good.

And that’s why she ignores him and gets the lock open within a matter of minutes.

They both slip through the gate, as if they could have simply crawled through the bars to begin with. Emma removes the t-shirt she was wearing over her undergarments and dives right in to the water.

Neal loves how she approaches most things she encounters that way.

“Come on!” she hollers back to him, treading in the water, with the lights illuminating her feet and her face.

Sighing through a half-grin, he removes his own shirt and plummets into the pool. When he surfaces, all the residue of the magical night terrors seems to have left his skin.

He paddles his hands to turn himself around, but before he has the chance to find her, she is laughing and splashing his face. The beads of water coming at him seem to be lit in an electric way that could not be the result of the solo pool light, especially when they also feature quite a rainbow.

But this time, it doesn’t make him panic.

“Hey! You’re absolutely ridiculous,” he declares, holding his hands out in an attempt to shield his face.

“Maybe. But don’t you feel better?”

She stops and he looks around at the spectrum of colors surrounding them on the water’s surface. Maybe there’s a simple explanation for it, or maybe there’s not. But he _does_ feel better. “Yes, I do,” Neal answers, as he swims over to wrap his arms around her.

And even though it feels more real than ever, he decides that it does not bother him at the moment. Because if someone like Emma Swan is magic, then maybe magic isn’t so bad, after all.


	6. Her Turn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> madame_mayor_regina_swan requested: Wicked Dragon, blind date au + sister bonding

“I’m not going to let her hurt you, Lena,” Regina says, and even though she’s the oldest daughter, Zelena swears she feels more like the little  sister. It usually disgusts her, that fact, but currently, she is much more worried about someone else’s feelings.

“She’s never going to accept me,” Zelena quavers, eyes cast on the floor, shaking her head. She needs to get up; finish getting ready, but she can’t--she shouldn’t.

The warm breath from her sister’s gentle sigh hits her neck. Regina tilts her head and adds another pin to hold the braid that runs through Zelena’s curls in place against the crown of her hair. “Well, she’s not very accepting of me, either. If it wasn’t for this, she would find another reason. It’s just how she is,” Regina claims, stepping back to admire her handiwork. She was always better with things like hair and make-up and clothing.

She knows that Regina is right, bt for some reason, she still wants their mother’s approval. Despite her more rational thinking, deep down, she knows her sister does, too, no matter how sick it makes them. “I’m sick,” she vocalizes.

“No, you’re not! There’s nothing wrong with you,” Regina interjects, misunderstanding her. But perhaps she has a point there, too.

Tinkerbell, a fairy who seemed to think she was some real-life Cupid, had insisted on setting her up with a date. When Zelena learned it was a woman, it made complete sense to her, but that did not mean she had immediately accepted it. After she used a holding spell on Tinkerbell and ran away, the fairy was reluctant--furious, even--but eventually gave her a second chance. This time, however, instead of the tavern, Tinkerbell had arranged for them to meet at the Firefly Glades, so there would be less pressure. And Zelena knows she cannot stand up the woman again.

Regina reaches her hand out to help her up. “Go get her, Lena. You deserve love.” There’s that ridiculous, magical gleam in her eyes when she says it. “Easy for you to say,” Zelena retorts. “You already found your true love.”

“It’s not easy,” Regina argues. “Mother would never approve of a thief, either. But it is worth it.”

She hopes that’s true, because oh god, Zelena wants love. And she’ll be damned if she doesn’t deserve it.

\--

The sun is only just going down when she arrives at the Firefly Glades. The sky remains illuminated by the blinking bellies of the insects who inhabit it. It’s all too romantic--or perhaps, perfectly romantic. She isn’t sure what she wants anymore.

As she approaches the hill, she adjusts the corset, for the dress she borrowed from Regina is just a bit too tight around her bust. But she was impressed with how the black and purple gown looks on her. She always thought green was her color.

Seeing a figure by a tree (the designated meeting place), she’s surprised to see piles of curly blonde hair with horns projecting through. Only one person she’s ever known has wears those.

“Mal?” Zelena calls out, certain this must be some kind of misunderstanding or issue of timing.

The figure turns and confirms her identity to the slightly older sorceress. “Zelena? Are you my--it’s you?”

Zelena gapes, and within a breath, she is about to run away again, but god, she probably can’t even move. “Why are you here? What do you know?” she demands, because there’s just no way she’s here for a date.

“Nothing! I’m just as surprised as you are!” Maleficent says, with a raw innocence she would never have expected from the vamp.

She should’ve known that something like this would happen; that there was nothing good in store for her. “I’m leaving,” she declares, shaking her head. This is unbelievable, yet so predictable of her life.

“Why though? I know it’s a bit weird, but we were obviously set up for a reason,” Maleficent foolishly insists, leading Zelena into a bitter laugh.

“Yeah, the reason probably being that we’re the only two homosexuals in the forest.”

“Thats not true,” Maleficent tells her, causing Zelena to reel back from the offense. Is she just going to start discussing her exploits during their so-called first date? “Please, just give it a chance.”

“You’re Regina’s best friend! I am so tired of living in my little sister’s shadow.” Regina is the only person she told; the only one she trusts. But with this new revelation, she suddenly can’t imagine anything worse. “Does she know? About you?”

“I think so. But I don’t feel that way about her.”

“I should hope not!” Zelena replies, her face twisting with disgust. “But that’s not the point. You think you could feel that way about me? You constantly picked on me when we were younger!”

“Hmm, I wonder why I did that,” Maleficent says with a smirk as she takes a few paces around Zelena. Her laughter is quiet and delicate, but has a teasing quality to it that’s almost...seductive, now that they’re older.

They may be older, but there’s no telling if Maleficent has become any less cruel, just like the life she’s been given. “I doubt you’re sincere.”

“Maybe! I didn’t understand who I was then. Maybe that was just some subconscious way for me to get that out, I don’t know,” she says, reaching for the red head’s hand very slowly, which Zelena does take to heart. “But I am sincere about at least wanting to give this a chance. Because we’ll never know if we don’t try. And personally, I don’t want to live with that regret.”

“I don’t know…” Zelena says, because perhaps she already regrets this entire thing. But she finds herself squeezing Maleficent’s hand, just needing some extra support in that moment. And just maybe, that will be enough.

“Give me an hour. Please. You came all the way out here, anyway,” Maleficent says.

And finally, Zelena does--at first--until one hour spills into many.


End file.
